Full Coverage: Law

30.09.2005 A Belgian judge has issued an international arrest warrant charging Chad’s former dictator Hissène Habré - now living in Senegal - with atrocities during his 1982-90 rule.

30.09.2005 The so-called "partial birth abortion ban" has been successfully challenged in three state courts, but an appeal from Nebraska could put that issue in front of the newly constituted Supreme Court within months. The new court may also hear a case on a controversial parental notification law.

30.09.2005 Some or all funding for the "bunker buster" nuclear warhead has been cut by four Congressional committees so far, but this new, "usable" nuclear weapon could still become a reality. Write your senator to ensure that the funding continues to be denied, asks Council for a Livable World.

29.09.2005 Five days after their leaders were arrested and beaten, the Kalahari Bushmen today learnt that their organisation, First People of the Kalahari, had won the "Alternative Nobel Prize" for "resolute resistance against eviction from their ancestral lands, and for upholding the right to their traditional way of life."
The organisation shares the Right Livelihood Award with activists from Canada, Malaysia and Mexico.

29.09.2005 Four representatives of a grassroots organisation fighting for the rights of the Gana and Gwi Bushmen to return to their ancestral homeland have allegedly been beaten in custody since their arrest on 24 September.

28.09.2005 On the Occasion of September 28, the International Day of Freedom to Access to Information, Transparency Macedonia launched a lobbying campaign with the aim to accelerate the procedure for adoption of the Law on Access to Information of Public Character.

28.09.2005 Subir Roy of Rediff.com profiles an economist and a management expert who is currently fighting for better governance in India. Dr Samuel Paul is the doughty fighter whose Citizens's Report Card scheme - that assesses institutions and services - is being implemented by a number of Indian states.

28.09.2005 The International Labout Organisation (ILO) has said that nearly 2.2 million people die of work-related accidents and diseases each year, adding that this number may be vastly under estimated due to poor reporting and coverage systems in many countries.

26.09.2005 A new bankruptcy law, which is scheduled to take effect October 17, could severely undermine the efforts of working families trying to make a fresh start. Moving Ideas and Demos are urging lawmakers to, at a minimum, exempt Katrina survivors from the new law for a year--and they are asking for your support.

23.09.2005 Sonia Sarkar of The Pioneer says that A hospital can be booked if they do not keep a patient's attendants informed on the line of treatment and the patient's medical condition. This is stipulated under the legal provision of right of information enshrined under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, is invoked.

22.09.2005 In the past, when the U.S. Senate has tried to enact legislation adding sexual orientation and gender to federal hate crimes laws, House conservatives have put up a roadblock. Last week, the House passed just such a bill, leaving it in the Senate's hands now.

21.09.2005 Anywhere from 75-200 Guantanamo Bay detainees have re-started a hunger strike over their continued detention and uncertain futures. Fifteen have been hospitalized, 13 are being fed through tubes, and the number of strikers is reportedly rising.

20.09.2005 A global commission has been formed to help the poor get access to legal aid. The commission will work on the conviction that broadening the rule of law and ensuring usersÂ’ and property rights for the poor and marginalized populations leads to economic and social empowerment.

20.09.2005 UNDP's global commission to work on legal rights for the marginalised. The High Level Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor is a new independent global initiative that will broaden the rule of law and ensure usersÂ’ and property rights for the poor and marginalized populations leads to economic and social empowerment.

19.09.2005 A committee of Iraq's National Assembly has released a report calling for a timetable for "occupation forces" to leave the country, saying that their continued presence prevents Iraq from becoming fully sovereign.

16.09.2005 Establishing a parliament is a key step on the road to a stable democracy, but Afghanistan's citizens and candidates have faced serious hurdles throughout the electoral process that will culminate in this weekend's elections, explains Institute for War and Peace Reporting journalists across the country.

15.09.2005 In four days of Senate hearings, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee John Roberts has "failed to distance himself from the anti-civil rights positions he has advocated," said the executive director of the nation's premier civil and human rights coalition Thursday, announcing its opposition to his confirmation.

15.09.2005 Lutheran World Relief asks you to join communities, organizations, and churches supporting a new vision for peace in Colombia, in a day of reflection and advocacy Thursday.

14.09.2005 WASHINGTON, D.C., Sep 14 (OneWorld) - People flooded out by Hurricane Katrina could yet be sunk by debt under a new U.S. bankruptcy law that makes it harder for Americans to seek bankruptcy protection, consumer advocates and lawmakers have warned.

14.09.2005 Media coverage of Hurricane Katrina has drowned out what may be two of the most consequential human rights court decisions in recent U.S. history: rulings that George W. Bush has the authority to indefinitely detain Jose Padilla, a Chicago native arrested in the United States and dubbed an "enemy combatant," and recent appeals to bring Guantanamo Bay cases to the civilian courts.